Display characters



T. G ER Fi eeeee eeeeee 58 United States Patent Oce 30Z8,700 Patented Apr. 10, 1962 3028,700 DISPLAY CHARAC'I'ERS Thomas G. Faulkner, Faulkners Laboratories, 4504 E. Hillborough, Tampa, Fla. Filed Sept. 9, 1958, Sex. N0. 759,996 3 Claims. (Cl. 40-140) Thjs invention relates to display characters and is particularly concerned with a character of the type disclosed in my prior application Serial N0. 754,206, filed August 11, 1958, and entitled Changeable Exhibiters. While the present inventive concept is not limited nor confined to any particular type of material, shape or thickness of the character, the invention is here illustrated in the forrn of a relatively thin, preferably translucent, plain or colored plastic letter which is adapted to be as secured 011 the front -face of a sign board by character supporting rods.

In the invention cf my prior application above referred to, the inventive concept was shown as including the attachrnent of eharacters of this type to supporting rods by the use attaching clips forrned to define a circular rod receiving opening and flexible or resilient fingers extending from the opening to receive the rod through a reduced throat between inwardly extending projections of the terminal ends of fingers. This same inventive concept comprehends the formation of the rod receiving aperture and the rod engaging throat defined by the integral material of the letter itself as distinct from the use of a clip element, whether such clip be formed integrally with the letter or integrally attached thereto by plastic welding as suggested in rny prior application. The present invention therefore constitutes a specific embodiment of the broader concept of my earlier application, and thus this application is a companion application to said prior application Serial Number 754206 filed August 11, 1958, the subject matter of which and the object features and advantages therein set forth being here ineluded by reference.

The specific structura-l features of this form of the invention Will be more fully understood from the consideration of the following specifioation taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in Which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the combination of a letter and sign board formed in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is sirnilar view of a sign board and letter cornbination showing a corrugated type of sign board, and

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation of a letter formed in accordance With the present invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, it will be seen that the numeral indicates a sign board panel here shown as cf relatively rigid material 10 presenting a flat freut face 11. It Will cf course be understood that the invention is not limited or confined to any specific style er material of sign board and that it may be of such configuration as desired and may be of translucent plastic material so as to provide for the adrnissiou of light from a source of illumination behind the board. For supporting charaeters on the front face 11 of the board 10, rods 12 are provided, preferably in the spaced parallel position illustrated. The rods 12 are here shown of generally circular form but may be of various modified cross sections such as those presented in my co-pending application above referred to The rods also may be cf any desired material but it is here suggested that the rods be of plastic material so as to provide for the integral attachment thereof to the sign board by plastic welding.

The character bete presented is indicated generally by the numeral 13 and is of hollow forrn including parallel sides 14 extending rearwardly from the flat aspect surface 15. Thus the arms of the letter -are virtually U-shaped in cross-section. For seeuring the letter on the sign board the sides 14 are provided with circular apertures 16 each intersecting the rear edge of the side alon g a chord line of the short length best shown in FIGURE 3, so that each aperture is open to the rear edge through a restricted throat 17 between inwardly extending projecting fingers 18. It will be understood that the throat is of slightly less width than the diamet6r of the rods and that. the material of the letter is so resilient as to perrnit the fingers to spring past and over the rod so that the rod may be seated Within the aperture and the letter retaiued by the yieldable engagement of the rod by the fingers. It will of course be noted that parallel areas of each letter -are cut in the manner described to provide their reception over the rods and that the letters may be formed with any such number of pairs cf receiving apertures as the number cf supporting rods cf the board dictate.

In that form of the invention shown in FIGURE 1, the board is flat paneled and the letter edges closely approach the surface of the board or may be in actual contact therewith to give the appearance of a single unitary structure. In that form of the invention shown in FIGURE 2 the panel 20 is of corrugated form and the rods 21 are secured to the crests cf the corrugation by plastic Weltling. The letter 22 of this figure is formed in the same manner as described in respect to the letter of FIGURE 1 and in this case the attachrnent of the letter is such that the letter edges are spaced from the valleys of the corrugations and thus permit air circulation and drainage of water from behind the letter.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides for the attachment and ready removal of a letter by means of a securing key hole opening formed in situ in the edges of the letter. As set forth in rny prior application the letter thus secured may be readily removed by a straight outer motion or by a filting action, in either instance the flexing of the material or throat permits ready removal and application, such fiexibility providing a firm securement of the letter.

It will be understood that in the practice of the 111V611- tion numerous changes, modifications and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In cornbination, an upright. sign board of translucent plastic material having a plurality of co-planar surface areas spaced laterally and vertically apart, upper and lower plastic rods of circular cross section spaced vertically apart in horizontally extending parallelism on said board, each rod making line contact with certain of said laterally spaced co-planar areas and being secured to the board by welded connection of the plastic material of the board and rod, and a plastic translucent sign character comprising a hollow flexible body having a pair of spaced parallel rearwardly extending vertical sides terminating in a pair of horizontally spaced coplanar edges, each of said sides having vertically spaced upper and lower apertures each of generally circular shape of the same radius as that of the rods, each aperture intersecting the rear edge of the character along a chord line of relatively short length, and said character beirig detachably and interch-angeabl'y mounted on said board by snapping engagernent of the upper and lower rods into said upper and lower apertures respectively, thereby positiom'ng certain portions of the rear edges of the character in substantial contact with certain cf said co-planar areas of the board.

2. The cornbination claimed in claim 1 in which the board has a flat smooth freut surface and each of the rods makes contact with the board substantially ebntinuously throughout the length cf the rod.

3 3. The combination claimed in c1aim 1 in which the board is provided with vertically extending corrugations having crest 1ines of equal height and each of the rods is welded 10 the crest 1ines of laterally spaced corrugations. 5

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Beavan Jan. 14, 1919 4 Wagner Sept. 20, 1938 Barbieri Feb. 22, 1944 Ownbey Mar. 21, 1950 Sheldon July 11, 1950 Martin Sept. 16, 1952 Atkin Sept. 21, 1954 Cygan Apr. 7, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 10, 1948 

